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Russian President Vladimir Putin has attacked the West for calling on Russia to seek political dialogue with Chechen separatists in the wake of last week's school hostage siege in which at least 335 people died - half of them children.

Mr Putin also ruled out holding a public inquiry into the storming of the Beslan school after a three-day stand-off with rebels who demanded Chechnya's independence.

"Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace?" Mr Putin was quoted as saying by Britain's Guardian newspaper yesterday.

"You find it possible to set limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why should we talk to people who are child-killers?" said Mr Putin, who spoke to a group of foreign journalists and academics.

Mr Putin's comments were published as at least 100,000 people were expected to attend a Moscow rally overnight to denounce terrorism, bolstering him against critics over last week's hostage bloodbath.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain stood in solidarity with the Russian people in condemning the Beslan hostage-takers who had "taken terrorism to an even more depraved level".

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Mr Blair declined to be drawn on Mr Putin's handling of the crisis or his Chechen policies, despite the implied criticism of the European Union. With Russia in mourning, it was not the time to explore such issues, he said. Mr Blair said it was important to understand that terrorists "will not prevail".

In the southern town of Beslan, the grim task continues of burying those killed during a chaotic operation to free them from their captors.

The ruins of Middle School No 1, where more than 1000 hostages were held for 53 hours, have become a memorial, where funeral processions stop on their way to a new cemetery for the victims and where people come to lay flowers.

Anti-terrorism rallies, which started on Monday marking two days of official mourning for the victims of the Beslan drama, were expected to climax in a massive event outside the Kremlin.

In St Petersburg, 15,000 people attended a rally and observed a minute's silence for the Beslan victims and demanded an end to terrorism.

Television newscasts and slick advertisements featuring cultural and sports personalities promoted the rally. But opposition politicians said the Moscow rally was deliberately planned to stave off criticism of the Kremlin's handling of the crisis and Mr Putin's failure to ensure security for ordinary Russians.

"There is a need for a political protest, but the slogans which are being prepared... do not reflect what needs to be done to avert a repetition of the tragedy," liberal politician Irina Khakamada said.